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July 22, 2014

Today, I have a special treat. Katherine Gleason author of Anatomy of Steampunk: The Fashion of Victorian Futurismhas written a guest post for Craftside! It is a fun look into her kitty-filled world and her experience making the sleeve garters tutorial from her book.

Thank you, Katherine for sharing the fun you had making on the sleeve garters and your trips through New York City shops (I miss them!)

Everyone is getting psyched for Comic-Con in San Diego. Unfortunately I won’t be there, but my bookAnatomy of Steampunkwill be. Plus, I’m sending two pairs of handmade sleeve garters, made per the directions in the book, to the convention.

You could win a pair of said sleeve garters. Stop by Walter Foster Publishing (booth #1320), enter the drawing, which will be held Saturday afternoon, and you may walk away with some new arm wear! Check it out, and let me know what you think!

I’ll confess that after all the crafting projects I’ve completed, I still have a little sewing anxiety. I worry that I will botch things up, prick my fingers, and sew my crafty item-in-progress to my skirt. (I have done that before!) Also my thread tends to tangle, which I think is because I bought the really cheap stuff. Sigh.

So, I procrastinated a bit on starting this sleeve-garter project. When I finally got myself out the door in search of supplies, though, I got wicked inspired. I had already scored some black and white checked ribbon at a small shop in my neighborhood, when I set off for Pacific Trimming in New York’s Garment District. There, I bought the requisite brass-toned metal slides. I also spent a bit of time looking at the store’s other offerings. So many different kinds of fastener, buttons, zippers, elastic, mysterious notions, and more! I started getting all kinds of new ideas.

After Pacific Trimming, I visited Daytona Trimmings Company where I found the striped ribbon that I used for one set of garters. (I bought three yards—one yard for my Comic Con garters, one for a set that I made for a steampunk event hosted by the fabulous party mavens Gemini & Scorpio, and I have a yard left over.)

Then, I swung by M & J Trimming and was blown away by the huge selection of ribbon. So many colors, patterns, and materials! I felt happy with the striped ribbon I’d picked up at Daytona, but I couldn’t walk out of M & J empty handed! I bought a yard of French grosgrain in a blue and gray stripe. I may need to make myself another pair of sleeve garters! The pair I made for myself back in the fall are a bright blue, and I’m thinking the blue stripes could be good for a more sober mood.

So, I guess the moral of this part of the story is: if you’re feeling stuck or need inspiration, go look at some materials. They’re sure to get your imagination going again.

Once I was back home, I pretty much followed the directions that Noam Berg, the fabulous steampunk, musician, and man about town, wrote for Anatomy of Steampunk.

The second time I wove the ribbon through the second slide, though, instead of just pulling the ribbon under the top bar of the slide, I passed the ribbon over the top bar, looped the ribbon back, and tucked it through the slide. This way the folded edge of the ribbon comes out inside the garter. While I was working, Luca kitty had to get in on the act.

With a project involving ribbon, of course he did! There’s nothing like a little feline assistance!

From formal outfits to costumes crafted for the stage, from ensembles suited to adventure to casual street styles, steampunk fashion has come to encompass quite a few different looks. But what exactly is steampunk? Originally conceived as a literary genre, the term “steampunk” described stories set in a steam-powered, science fiction-infused, Victorian London. Today steampunk has grown to become an aesthetic that fuels many varied art forms. Steampunk has also widened its cultural scope. Many steampunk practitioners, rather than confining their vision to one European city, imagine steam-driven societies all over the world.

Today the vibrance of steampunk inspires a wide range of individuals, including designers of high fashion, home sewers, crafters, and ordinary folks who just want to have fun. Steampunk fashion is not only entertaining, dynamic, and irreverent; it can also be colorful, sexy, and provocative. Most of all, steampunk fashion is accessible to everyone.

Illustrated throughout with color photographs of the dazzling creations of numerous steampunk fashion designers, Anatomy of Steampunk is an inspirational sourcebook. In addition to presenting the looks and stories of these creative fashion artists, the book also details ten steampunk projects for the reader to try at home. Allow steam to power your imagination!

And if you are planning on making some new pillow covers for the summer, or even looking ahead to fall check out this great tip for preventing "dog ears" on your pillow corners.

Knife-edge Pillows

The knife-edge pillow is the most basic of pillow styles. At its simplest, it is two matching fabric panels sewn together around their perimeters and slipstitched closed after the pillow form is inserted. But it can be so much more! Think of this basic style as a blank canvas for creativity—you can piece the panels with contrasting fabrics, add welting, a ruffle, or trim to the edges, add interesting closures, or tuft the finished pillow.

These pillows can be square, rectangular, round, or shaped in a creative design, and stuffed with purchased pillow forms or with polyester fiberfill.

Because the center of the pillow is thicker than the edges, square and rectangular knife-edge pillows tend to develop “dog ears” on the corners. You can stuff the corners lightly with fiberfill to minimize this look, or avoid it altogether with the corner tapering technique described in steps 2 to 4, as follows.

2. To taper the corners, fold the front panel into fourths. Mark a point halfway between the corner and the fold on each open side. At the corner, mark a point 1/2" (1.3 cm) from each edge. Draw a line connecting the points.

3. Cut along the marked lines, cutting through all four layers of fabric.

4. Unfold the front panel and use it as a pattern for trimming the back.

More about the the new CPi book that can give all the seating in your house a new look:

Learn how to make slipcovers to fit all different styles of furniture withThe Complete Photo Guide to Slipcovers, Pillows, and Bedding. From making simple seat cushions for wooden chairs to complicated covers for sleeper sofas, this comprehensive, how-to reference covers all the options and teaches all the essential skills. Readers can easily access information with step-by-step directions and hundreds of color photos for clear understanding, and inspiring home interior photography shows slipcovered furniture pieces in real home settings.

Inside, you'll find:—Duvets—Pillows—Shams—And more!

Karen Erickson has been engaged in the home decor interior industry for more than 20 years. In 1986, she started Fine Finishing by Karen as a part-time home based business designing and fabricating draperies, slipcovers and other fabric accessories. In 1998, her company became a corporation with a name change to Slipcover America, Inc. (http://www.slipcoveramerica.com). She has worked with designers, decorators and retail customers throughout the United States, specializing in on-site fabrication (in customer’s homes). Karen instructs both in the U.S. and Canada doing seminars and workshops at fabric stores, for sewing guilds, in professional workrooms, and at numerous trade show and groups. In January of 2007, she partnered with Claudia Buchanan of Sew What! to start http://www.HomeFashionsU.com. She lives in Snohomish, WA.

I have an inside peek that features the tutorial on how to draw the "Quilted Zentangle" pattern. Won't it be fun to stitch a zentangle that's name is "quilted?" I love the way it looks- simply drawn. Here's what Jane Monk has to say about her patterns in the book:

I have chosen a mixture of patterns to show you how to draw them. The pattern directions are commonly known as step outs. They show you how to create each individual step to make the whole pattern. Some of these patterns are official Zentangle® patterns. The patterns that are marked with an asterisk are those I have created and named myself. Once you get started you will discover ways to change patterns to suit your style of drawing and add your touch, or even create your own unique patterns.

Although most tangle patterns can be stitched, many would require multiple stops and starts. I have included a mixture of patterns, both simple and more complex. Some of the patterns have a more fluid design that will need only minimal stopping, starting, and backtracking while being stitched. When stitching, some elements of the individual patterns can be eliminated, such as the dots in the pattern Msst or the colored sections in the patterns Crescent Moon and Chartz. You can add these elements in with a black fine-point pen, if you wish.

I recommend drawing any pattern on paper a few times before you start stitching. This makes it easier to stitch smoothly with the machine, and your brain will remember the sequence much more readily if you have practiced first. Let’s look at those tangle patterns.

Free-motion quilting in repetitive patterns is not new to quilters. They have long used stitch patterns like "vermicelli" and "echo" stitching to quilt their projects.

Tangle Stitches for Quilters and Fabric Artists takes the concepts, theory and method of Zentangle and transfer them into quilting patterns and projects. You will learn how to create tangle patterns on paper and then how to create the same patterns in thread, the key difference being that Zentangle patterns on paper are 'one stroke at a time' while quilting patterns are most efficiently achieved in one continuous line. Zentangle-inspired quilting projects include materials, how to mark and prepare fabric, tricks and tools.

The projects can be achieved on either a domestic (conventional sit-down) sewing machine or longarm quilting machine.

Jane Monk lives in Tasmania, Australia. She is a self-taught artist who has been drawing since she was a young girl, inspired by the beauty in all things in the natural and man-made worlds. Patterns and repetition; the sometimes quirky and different; are what inspire her work. Jane began quilting in 2003 and loved it so much she purchased a longarm quilting machine in 2007. Jane is an award winning machine quilter and quilts professionally for others in her business "Jane Monk Studio".

Jane has designed quilt patterns for publication in quilting magazines, including a short DVD showcasing the basics of Zentangle and quilting. She has taught numerous classes in Zentangle, quilting, free motion stitching and doll making.In 2010 Jane became a Certified Zentangle Teacher and combines her love of Zentangle and Quilting by bringing these two complimentary mediums together. Zentangle Stitches for Quilters and Fabric Artists is Jane's first book. Web site; www.janemonkstudio.comblog: http://janemonkstudio.blogspot.com/

June 17, 2014

Today's giveaway is all about sewing! And along with today's giveaway of 4 sewing books and supplies, there is a great tip about sewing tiny triangles on your top-stitched patch pocket to make them sturdier from the book First Time Sewing: Step-by-Step Basics and Easy Projects.

Along with today's giveaway I want to share with you a fun tiny detail from First Time Sewing. If you sew things with patch pockets, check out this little triangle detail that will make them pretty and sturdy.

-With a pencil or erasable fabric marker, draw a small triangle in each upper corner of each pocket, 1⁄8 " (3 mm) from the top and side edges.

-Place the skirt under the presser foot with the top of the pocket toward you, aligning the needle to start sewing at the lowest point of the triangle.

-Stitch forward two stitches, then backstitch two stitches. Now stitch diagonally to the top, pivot, and stitch a few stitches across the top of the triangle.

-Pivot again so the needle is now aligned to stitch down the side of the pocket.

-Edgestitch around the sides and the bottom of the pocket, and finish with the triangle on the opposite corner, again backstitching two stitches.

-TIP: Apron pockets are used frequently. Stitching triangles at the top corners reinforces them better than merely backstitching, which can put more strain on the skirt fabric beneath the pocket.

Enjoy this beginner's guide that takes you by the hand like a personal instructor and teaches you how to sew using hand stitches as well as sewing machines.

Filled with detailed descriptions of materials and tools, the easy step-by-step instructions for all the basic sewing techniques will have you creating projects like aprons, pillows, and even pants and shorts in no time. Five simple projects will introduce sewing skills like hems, seams, balancing tension, and how to use a pattern; skills you will use often as you continue to learn.

With First Time Sewing, soon you will be stitching amazing gifts and projects with confidence.

Classic and contemporary crafters unite! Create amazing trims, butterflies, flowers and more with How to Make 100 Ribbon Embellishments. With clever techniques and a huge selection of ribbon styles to choose from, the timeless art of making ribbon embellishments is better than ever. Let author Elaine Schmidt take you through 100 ribbon designs, offering helpful hints and tips to help you make beautiful accessories to place anywhere. Inexpensive, and with so many patterns and colors, ribbon is the perfect medium to create adornments that will make any gift, card, or decoration unique and special. Enjoy beautiful photos and simple step-by-step instructions that allow you to create amazing ribbon crafts with ease. So grab some ribbon and get crafting today!

Elaine Schmidt is a designer, consultant, educator and spokesperson in the sewing, quilting, craft and hobby industries. Since she was a little girl, she has always been busy creating something. Her love of sewing and weaving led her to major in Textiles and Design at Carnegie Mellon University. She has worked in the education and design departments of a major sewing pattern company and is the former design director for a national chain of ribbon boutiques. As the owner of Elaine Schmidt Designs (http://www.elaineschmidt.com), she has developed award-winning products for many manufacturers. Her original designs are featured at trade and consumer shows and in books, magazines, project sheets, and TV segments. She lives in Long Valley, NJ.